‘Park City Follies’ raises funds for Egyptian’s expansion

Egyptian Theatre’s YouTheatre, above, may be able to move into a new home if “Park City Follies” meets its fundraising goal. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)Park Record file photo

This year’s run of the “Park City Follies,” which is set to open on Friday, April 26, through May 5, is an important one for the Egyptian Theatre.

This year, manager Randy Barton made it so every dollar from ticket sales and donations will go directly to buying equipment and the building of a new, 165-seat black box theater which will be home for the Egyptian Theatre’s YouTheatre program, Barton said.

The original fundraising goal was $3.75 million, and Barton hopes to raise between $300,000 and $400,000 over the nine “Park City Follies” shows.

“For the first time we did a fairly significant increase in ticket pricing, and we have sold out of all the general tickets,” Barton said. “So all we have left is cabaret tables and balcony tickets.”

It will also be another venue so we can present other performances while our main stage is being used…” Randy Barton, Egyptian Theatre manager

The Egyptian Theatre’s two balconies seat between 16 and 19 people each. Both balconies can be purchased for $5,000, or a single one can be purchased for $2,500.

“That allows a group of people to come together and enjoy the shows,” Barton said. “Also, anyone or any group that purchases the balcony or balconies can bring in their own food, drinks – both alcoholic and non-alcoholic – and basically have a private party.”

The cabaret tables are located at the front of the stage and seat four. Each seat is available for $1,000.

“Right now we have last-end pledges of $400,000 that we need to raise up to that amount,” Barton said. “We’re in the final two months of the plan.”

The 9,000 square-foot space is located in the basement of the Parkite building, located across the street from the Egyptian Theatre.

The space, which measures 9,000 square feet, is accessible from the theater via a tunnel that runs under Main Street.“Not only will this space will be a black-box theater and house our YouTheatre program, it will also be another venue so we can present other performances while our main stage is being uses,” Barton said.

The building now housing the Parkite was originally constructed by Debbie and Randy Fields, who owned Mrs. Fields Cookies, when they built the original Main Street Mall in 1982.

“We were allowed to use the space when Mrs. Fields Cookies started to financially crumble in the late 1980s,” Barton said. “They gave us the keys when they moved their offices to the Mall’s top floor. We used the area until 2012, when the Parkite mustered up the funds and people to remodel it into what it is today.”

Purchasing the space will give the Egyptian Theatre the beginnings of a performing arts complex on Main Street, Barton said.

In addition to the black box and YouTheatre classrooms, the area will provide a rehearsal space for productions such as the “Park City Follies,” and it will also benefit from any upgrades made to the Egyptian’s main theater, Barton said.

“We just installed a $200,000 sound system up there (in the Egyptian), so we will be able to move the old system to the new space,” he said.

Barton said he is privileged that the Egyptian Theatre has the opportunity to expand.

“It’s been a two-year undertaking to make the plans and do this,” he said. “And we’re so close.”